First, my apologies for being so slow to respond to some notes.  I stay
constantly behind in my FML reading for a variety of reasons and am caught
up on this one night.  I hate to send answers to the list if someone else
has already posted plenty of info, but it requires being caught up to know
....
 
Kris-- You described a scabby spot or growth on one of your ferrets sometime
in the past couple of weeks.  It might be a mast cell tumor-- I understand
these to be pretty common in ferrets.  My oldest ferret, Laska, had scabbed
over spot that refused to heal removed a couple of months ago.  It was on
her head, behind and lined up between her eyes.  I never could find anything
she might have scraped her head on, and nothing applied topically would heal
this spot.  My vet removed the scab and affected tissue under it.  Pathology
found a slight infection, lots of ingrown hair follicles, and scar tissue
from the irritation of the ingrown hairs.  Nothing scary, and my little
"zipperhead" has healed up very well.  Maybe excision is something that you
and your vet should consider if antibiotics and topical treatments don't
help.  Depending on how large it is and how it is "constructed", could it be
aspirated?  These are all just ideas-- I won't pretend to be a vet!
(Although sitting here at my J-O-B, that thought sounds attractive...)
 
Mark & Nipper--
Are the computer cords you are concerned with such that they could be
contained in a length of plastic conduit to protect against the teeth of
ganwing fuzzies?
 
Ruben Guadiola--
I'm sure you heard an earfull on getting the vaccinations for your ferret,
especially the distemper vaccine, so I won't talk about that part.  As far
as locating a vet, you should contact Sharon Shermerhorn in Austin.  She
operates a shelter there and works for a vet where she and another FML'er
take their ferrets for care.  If you haven't already been contacted with a
vet's name, drop me a note at [log in to unmask] and I'll give you Sharon's
number.
 
Shannon--
You asked how to deter ferrets from pooing behind a door since a litter box
is out.  My ferrets did this in their room until I tacked an old pair of
sweatpants they'd been using as sleeping material to the wall just above the
baseboard.  Now the sweatpants are behind the door and they even often sleep
in them.  An item already recognized and used by the ferrets as bedding may
have more success than a freshly laundered item.
 
Laura--
We've used a couple of things to block the clearance under doors.  With a
door that is close enough to the floor, one of those screw-on metal and
rubber weather strips on the INSIDE of the door may be sufficient.  If the
door is still gapping too far and the floor allows, mount a threshold with a
plastic seal to the floor so that the weather strip sweeps right up next to
it.  Used this successfully on three doors in two homes/apartments without
the ferrets even nibbling on the strips when the doors in question were
open.
 
Amy--
Which ferrets?  Would I recognize a description?  I hope everyone continues
to be fine!
 
     Debra in Ft. Worth
[Posted in FML issue 1569]